Quran Universe
15:7

لَّوۡمَا تَأۡتِينَا بِٱلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ

Law ma tateena bialmalaikati in kunta mina alssadiqeena

Why do you not bring us the angels, if you should be among the truthful?"

Word by word
  1. لَّوۡمَاWhy
  2. تَأۡتِينَاnot
  3. بِٱلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِyou bring to us
  4. إِنthe Angels
  5. كُنتَif
  6. مِنَyou are
  7. ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَof
Al-Hijr · 15:7Makkah

Bring us angels, they demanded, if you are honest.

Setting conditions for believing

Their demand
the Qurayshwant proof on their terms
demand
angelsto witness for him
Who sets the terms
show me firstthen I will believe
the signs givenalready enough

After calling him mad, they asked why he did not bring angels to bear witness for him. Ibn Kathir compares it to Pharaoh asking why angels were not sent along with Musa.

You tell yourself you will start praying once you feel something. Once you get a sign. Once life proves it. You are writing the terms for Allah. The signs around you are already speaking.

I will commit when I get the proof I want.

Asking for my own kind of proof can be a way of saying no politely.

Try this

Write down one sign of Allah's care you already received this week.

Related43:5325:21
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 15:6)

And they say: "O you (Muhammad) to whom the Dhikr (the Qur'an) has been revealed! Verily, you are a madman (6)"Why do you not bring angels to us if you are of the truthful? (7)We do not send the angels down except with the truth, and in that case, they (the disbelievers) would have no respite (8)Verily, We, it is We Who revealed the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur'an) and surely We will guard it (from corruption)(9)

The Accusation that the Prophet (ﷺ) was a Madman and Demands for Him to bring down Angels

Allah tells us about the disbelief, arrogance and stubbornness of the disbelievers as reflected in their words:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِي نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الذِّكْرُ

(O you (Muhammad) to whom the Dhikr (the Qur'an) has been revealed!) i.e., the one who claims to receive it.

إِنَّكَ لَمَجْنُونٌ

(Verily, you are a mad man!) i.e., by your invitation to us to follow you and leave the way of our forefathers.

لَّوْ مَا تَأْتِينَا بِالْمَلَائِكَةِ

(Why do you not bring angels to us) i.e., to bear witness to the accuracy of what you have brought to us is true, if you are really telling the truth? This is similar to what Pharaoh said:

فَلَوْلَا أُلْقِيَ عَلَيْهِ أَسْوِرَةٌ مِّن ذَهَبٍ أَوْ جَاءَ مَعَهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ مُقْتَرِنِينَ

(Why then are not golden bracelets bestowed on him, or angels sent along with him?)(43:53). And Allah said:

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَاءَنَا لَوْلَا أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَوْ نَرَىٰ رَبَّنَا ۗ لَقَدِ اسْتَكْبَرُوا فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ وَعَتَوْا عُتُوًّا كَبِيرًا - يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَ الْمَلَائِكَةَ لَا بُشْرَىٰ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُجْرِمِينَ وَيَقُولُونَ حِجْرًا مَّحْجُورًا

(And those who do not expect a meeting with Us (i. e., those who deny the Day of Resurrection and the life of the Hereafter), say: "Why are not the angels sent down to us, or why do we not see our Lord?" Indeed they think too highly of themselves, and are scornful with great pride. On the Day that they do see the angels - there will be no good news given on that day to the guilty. And they (angels) will say: "All kinds of glad tidings are forbidden for you.")(25:21-22) For this reason Allah said:

مَا نُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَمَا كَانُوا إِذًا مُّنظَرِينَ

(We do not send the angels down except with the truth, and in that case, they (the disbelievers) would have no respite!) Mujahid said in this Ayah:

مَا نُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ

(We do not send the angels down except with the truth) "[i.e.,] with the Message and the punishment." Then Allah, may He be exalted, stated that He is the One Who revealed the Dhikr to him, which is the Qur'an, and He is protecting it from being changed or altered.